The CD and DVD industries have for decades invested substantial sums of money in developing metal packaging. However, all these many efforts have not led to metal packaging, which is capable of being packed in the standard automated packing machines commonly used in these industries for plastic packaging.
The total sum of investments in such automated packing machinery is huge and the total number of packaging, produced in the CD- and DVD-industries, exceeds 5 billion pieces per year.
Metal as a component of packaging for CDs, DVDs and other forms of media gives a large number of advantages, including supplying the packaging with substantially additional strength and giving an exclusive look. Further advantages are that it is possible to emboss a surface relief directly onto the surface and that it is easier to print on metal surfaces.
However, as stated the CD- and DVD-industries have not been able to provide a packaging that utilises these advantages, combined with the ability of being packed in the automated packing machines in the industries. The packing machines require that the packaging is openable like a book with an angle of more than 180°, preferably 240°. An example of such a packing machine is shown in FIG. 25.
The common plastic CD- and DVD-packaging can be bent in that angle which is needed in the process of inserting a printed paper cover between the actual packaging and the transparent foil wrapped around it. When the plastic packaging is bent 240° the transparent foil and the packaging will separate and thus make space for the insertion of the printed paper cover. The reason for this ability is that CD- and DVD-plastic packaging has a hinge, which enables the sides of the packaging to be rotated relative to each other in order to open the packaging with an angle of, in principle, 360°.
Metal packaging developed so far does not have this ability, as such packaging cannot be opened like a book with an angle of more than 180°, preferably 240°. Such as packaging is shown in FIG. 24.
The challenge has thus been to achieve that metal packaging will be able to “act” like or emulate a plastic packaging in the automated packing machines, e.g. that the metal packaging may be opened like a book with an angle of more than 180°, preferably 240°.
The demand in the market for such packaging is overwhelming, but the technical challenges even bigger. The reason for this is, as stated, that such packaging must be able to integrate different materials, i.e. metal and e.g. plastic. This requires that focus be put on the tolerances allowed when metal and plastic has to cooperate.
Until now no one has succeeded in creating the metal packaging, which is “perceived” by the automated packing machines as plastic packaging, i.e. which allows the metal packaging to open with an angle of more than 180°, preferably 240° while still ensuring that the metal may cooperate, e.g. plastic.
Packaging adapted to store data carrying elements like CDs and DVDs are known in the art.
EP 0 576 256 B1 discloses a package structure for a recording medium or other items and which is composed of a plastic support frame and a laminated flexible body.
EP 744 746 and EP 874 768 discloses systems comprising metal. However, these packaging systems can not be designed like a book due to the characteristics of the metal material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,352 discloses a holder for CD's or DVD's including a plastic molded container sized to accommodate the disc. Along a side of the container on an inner wall thereof is a living hinge. The disc is removed from or inserted into the holder by pressing against the sides of the container so that a slit widens into a gap through which gap the disc can pass. The sides of the holder cannot be separated.
WO 96/35628 discloses a composite package for use in storing a laser or optically readable disc. The package includes a lightweight frame for storing the disc, and the frame is encompassed by a sheath, which is securely bonded to an exterior surface of the frame. The frame is made of plastic and the sheath is made of a suitable flexible material, such as paperboard, as it forms part of a hinge that requires high flexibility.
Other documents relating to storage/packing of media are U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,431, EP 0 895 243, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,714,157, 5,908,109, 6,375,003, 5,725,105, EP 0 671 743, WO 03/023783, EP 1 100 088, WO 00/74057, FR 2 753 297, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,722,439, 5,477,961, EP 0 866 458, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,788,068, 6,502,694 and U.S. D437,520.
The common characteristics of these systems is that they can not be designed like a book with the ability to open with an angle of more than 180°, preferably 240° due to the characteristics of i.a. the metal material and thus cannot be packed in the automated packing machines.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a metal packaging, which overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a metal packaging which is adapted for and can be packed in traditional automated packing machines in order to avoid the need for investing additional, very substantial sums of money in the development and implementation of new automated packing machines.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide packaging for CD or DVD's having an improved strength and more exclusive look than known packaging.